1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to equipment monitoring systems, and specifically relates to monitoring systems with interchangeable operating hardware.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Equipment monitoring systems are used to help improve the reliability and performance of production assets such as gas turbines, compressors, motors, and generators. In particular, vibration monitoring of gas turbine components, such as rotors, can help predict required maintenance or required adjustment of gas turbine system parameters. A multitude of vibration sensor types can be used for this task. Each vibration sensor type may have different operating parameters. Also, each of the different vibration sensor types can require different hardware to operate and sense the vibration sensor.
In previously known examples, a controller would receive an input voltage and convert that voltage to the input voltage required by a sensor. The sensor then monitored a piece of equipment and provides a signal back to the controller. The controller then processed (filtered/amplified/attenuated) and converted the analog signal to a digital signal for input to a processor and the processor would manipulate the signal into a suitable form of data for interpretation. The data could then be sent to an output device as desired. As can be easily understood, different types of vibration sensors such as proximity sensor, accelerometer, and velometer sensors each required specialized hardware and circuitry within the controller. In order to be flexible for different types of vibration sensors, many controllers included the hardware and circuitry for several different types of vibration sensors, despite the fact that only one set of hardware and circuitry for one particular type of vibration sensor was likely being used. In the case where an end user required a change to a different type of vibration sensor, a set of jumpers within the controller could be manipulated to make the conversion.
However, the process became much more complicated and costly if the end user desired a change to a second sensor that is significantly different than the first, requiring different hardware, such as a new voltage supply for the sensor, new input/output hardware, etc. For example, a planned switch between two vibration sensors that required different voltage supplies, e.g., −24 volt to 5 volt, the end user would have to communicate the desired change to a service representative. The service representative then had to determine what changes were needed, wrote a plan for the changes, filed the plan, and scheduled a service technician to visit the site in order to make the change. For several reasons, this process often became costly and had long lead times, both of which inconvenienced the end user.
As mentioned, from time to time, end users switch from one vibration sensor type to another, requiring modifications to a monitor module to accommodate the new required hardware. It is difficult to include all the required hardware for several different types of vibration sensors on one monitor module, and necessary modifications can be time-consuming and expensive. Thus, there is a need for improvements to monitoring systems to reduce the cost and time involved in switching from one vibration sensor type to another.